ABSTRACT
Regional planning currently is in a position of fundamental change and renewal. Conventionally, efforts by planners to establish some kind of regional plan have been predominantly oriented towards public agencies taking general rules or regulation as a standard for policy making. More recently, however, a more entrepreneurial and strategic planning style has materialized. This style emphasizes a socio-political view on planning and the need to ‘frame mindsets’, to ‘organize attention’, and to seek opportunities in a dynamic social context. Following Healey et al. (1999), strategic planning is understood to include a notion of providing regions with ‘institutional capacity’ and social, intellectual, and political capital. An entrepreneurial planning style refers to the intention of stimulating private investment and actively initiating development through planning. Entrepreneurial planning is related to an ability to identify opportunities in a public environment or existing market, and a willingness to take risks (see for instance Casson 2005).
